All posts filed under “Space

ISS toilet breaks down

The main toilet [has broken down](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8158350.stm) on the International Space Station (ISS), currently home to a record 13 astronauts.

Mission Control told the crew to hang an “out of service” sign until the toilet can be fixed. ISS residents are using a back-up toilet in the Russian part of the station.

If repairs fail, Apollo-era urine collection bags are on hand, Nasa said.

Yuri Gagarin

Юрий Гагарин

Yuri Gagrin, the first man in space, would have been celebrating his 75th birthday on March 9.

Gagarin was the first to make a manned space flight on board the Vostok spaceship on April 12, 1961. The flight around the Earth took 108 minutes, after which he safely landed in the Saratov Region. He [died in an air crash](http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=13658296&PageNum=0) in the Vladimir Region during a training flight on board a Mig-15 fighter plane together with Colonel Vladimir Seryogin on March 27, 1968.

First Lady

Валентина Терешкова

On 16 June 1963, [Valentina Tereshkova ](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tereshkova)became the first woman to fly into space. Her call sign in this flight was Chaika. Today is the 45th anniversary of this spaceflight. At he age of 70 she said that she would like to fly to Mars, even if it meant that it was a one way trip.